--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There were long stretches where each of…" description: "\"There were long stretches where each of us was engaged in a private world of rapidly shifting vignettes. Always I was overwhelmed by the sheer number o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/howard-thurman-11976_engaged_there-were-long-stretches-where-each-of_752040.jpg" --- # There were long stretches where each of us was engaged in… ![“There were long stretches where each of us was engaged in a private world of rapidly shifting vignettes. Always I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of human beings ebbing and flowing like the tides of the sea.” quote by Howard Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/howard-thurman-11976_engaged_there-were-long-stretches-where-each-of_752040.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/howard-thurman-11976_engaged_there-were-long-stretches-where-each-of_752040.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/howard-thurman-11976_engaged_there-were-long-stretches-where-each-of_752040.jpg) > “There were long stretches where each of us was engaged in a private world of rapidly shifting vignettes. Always I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of human beings ebbing and flowing like the tides of the sea.” [Howard Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-thurman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We often feel isolated in our personal narratives while being surrounded by countless others whose lives ebb and flow around us. **In simple terms:** Personal isolation amid crowded humanity. Key Takeaway Recognize shared humanity despite personal focus. Themes isolation humanity connection Mood reflective empathetic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - urban life - social media - crowded events - personal reflection Key Concepts existentialism social awareness Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance personal focus with awareness of others? - What practices help you feel connected in busy settings? A Different Perspective Our focus on self can blind us to the collective experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Engaged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engaged/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Overwhelmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overwhelmed/) [Overwhelmed Sheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overwhelmed-sheer-1587125/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Sheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sheer/) [Sheer Number](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sheer-number-300128/) [Shifting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shifting/) [Shifting Vignettes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shifting-vignettes-5849258/) [Tides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tides/) [Vignettes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vignettes/) [Vignettes Overwhelmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vignettes-overwhelmed-5849257/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I am writing this during my lunch period, because I need to reach towards the outside world of sanity, because I am overwhelmed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bel-kaufman/i-am-writing-this-during-my-lunch-period-because-i-need-to-reach/) [Bel Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bel-kaufman/) > [“...library terror - that feeling of being hopelessly overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of available books...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-barfield/library-terror-that-feeling-of-being-hopelessly-overwhelmed-by-the/) [Owen Barfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-barfield/) > [ Spending time in Calcutta \[India\] really did a number on me. 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I wanted to explore that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/i-was-interested-in-cross-pollinating-the-two-i-thought-there-was/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [The desire to express in an art form and to compose a tableau and vignette whether it's humorous, burlesque, or poetic comes simply from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/the-desire-to-express-in-an-art-form-and-to-compose-a-tableau-and/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [Michael Ondaatje’s work taught me how to be at home in fragments, and how to think about a big story in carefully curated vignettes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/michael-ondaatje-s-work-taught-me-how-to-be-at-home-in-fragments-and/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [It seems to me that there are certain thoughts and vignettes and attitudes that I have always had the desire to represent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/it-seems-to-me-that-there-are-certain-thoughts-and-vignettes-and/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [I promptly said that life was a random series of beautifully composed vignettes, loosely tied together by a string of characters and time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahbod-seraji/i-promptly-said-that-life-was-a-random-series-of-beautifully-composed/) [Mahbod Seraji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahbod-seraji/) > [The joy of 'Crash' was that it was all about the work. 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The first is 'Where am I going?' and the second is 'Who will go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-thurman/there-are-two-questions-that-we-have-to-ask-ourselves-the-first-is/) [Howard Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-thurman/) > [Twilight - a time of pause when nature changes her guard. All living things would fade and die from too much light or too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-thurman/twilight-a-time-of-pause-when-nature-changes-her-guard-all-living/) [Howard Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-thurman/) > [There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-thurman/there-is-something-in-every-one-of-you-that-waits-and-listens-for-the/) [Howard Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-thurman/) > [“It’s a wondrous thing, that a decision to act releases energy in the personality. For days on end a person may drift along without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-thurman/it-s-a-wondrous-thing-that-a-decision-to-act-releases-energy-in-the/) [Howard Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-thurman/) > [Dont ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-thurman/dont-ask-yourself-what-the-world-needs-ask-yourself-what-makes-you/) [Howard Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-thurman/) > [The years, the months, the days, and the hours have flown by my open window. Here and there an incident, a towering moment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-thurman/the-years-the-months-the-days-and-the-hours-have-flown-by-my-open/) [Howard Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-thurman/) > [At the core of life is a hard purposefulness, a determination to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-thurman/at-the-core-of-life-is-a-hard-purposefulness-a-determination-to-live/) [Howard Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-thurman/) > [I say that creeds, dogmas, and theologies are inventions of the mind. It is the nature of the mind to make sense out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-thurman/i-say-that-creeds-dogmas-and-theologies-are-inventions-of-the-mind-it/) [Howard Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-thurman/) > [The movement of the Spirit of God in the hearts of men and women often calls them to act against the spirit of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-thurman/the-movement-of-the-spirit-of-god-in-the-hearts-of-men-and-women/) [Howard Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-thurman/) > [It cannot be denied that too often the weight of the Christian movement has been on the side of the strong and the powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-thurman/it-cannot-be-denied-that-too-often-the-weight-of-the-christian/) [Howard Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-thurman/) > [“When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-thurman/when-the-song-of-the-angels-is-stilled-when-the-star-in-the-sky-is-2/) [Howard Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-thurman/) [Explore all 57 Howard Thurman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-thurman/) ## More Engaged quotes > [Gambling has held human beings in thrall for millennia. It has been engaged in everywhere, from the dregs of society to the most respectable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-bernstein/gambling-has-held-human-beings-in-thrall-for-millennia-it-has-been/) [Peter L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-bernstein/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [“The burn is my girlfriend, failure is my ex. I'm married to the track and engaged to success.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-bramble/the-burn-is-my-girlfriend-failure-is-my-ex-i-m-married-to-the-track/) [Andre Bramble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-bramble/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. 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And then I sort of discovered world music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/i-was-very-engaged-by-the-folk-music-movement-bob-dylan-joan-baez/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [If you've been courting someone for a long time, what's the point in being engaged an additional 2 or 3 years?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-ve-been-courting-someone-for-a-long-time-what-s-the-point-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don’t know, I don’t know that I’m missing anything. I just think too much sometimes. 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